Sitting Down to Eat

by Bill Harley, Kitty Harvill (Illustrator)

Overview

American Bookseller Pick of the Lists & Newsweek's "Best Kids' Books of the Year"A young boy's snacktime is interrupted by a visit from an elephant. As soon as he moves over to make room, they are joined by a tiger ... and a hippo ... and a big blue whale ... and soon a full menagerie, each insisting there's room for one more. With his trademark marriage of story and song, children's entertainer Bill Harley tests the boundaries of his young hero's patience—and hospitality. Young readers will delight in counting candles on the birthday cake that is among the many favorite foods to be found in Kitty Harvill's vibrant, kinetic cut-paper collages, which capture the energy and rhythm of Harley's cumulative tale. This vibrant animal story will teach readers the importance of sharing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874836035
Publisher:	August House Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/15/2005
Edition description:	1 PBK ED
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	320,868
Product dimensions:	8.65(w) x 11.03(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Bill Harley Bio: Bill began singing and storytelling in 1975 while still in college. His work has influenced a generation of children, performing artists and educators. Bill’s songs are joyous, direct and honest. His stories are filled with the details of daily life – all told and sung from his slightly “off-center” point-of-view. He uses song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life. His work spans the generation gap - reminding us of our common humanity while challenging us to be our very best selves. Bill’s trademark wit and wisdom can also be found in his picture books and children’s novels. His work has received numberous awards from a range of prestigious organizations including: the Bank Street School of Education, the Green Earth Book Award, Kid's Books of the Year, Notable Trade Books for Young People, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Newsweek's "Best Kids' Books of the Year", NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and the Elementary School Library Collection.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3-This appealing, cumulative tale features a boy who opens his door to an ever-growing group of animals; he politely invites each new arrival to join him for lunch, until the overcrowded house explodes. Readers are placed right inside the famous mitten of the Ukrainian folktale (a derivation Harley points out in an author's note, with a special nod to Jan Brett). Harvill's kinetic-looking, highly stylized cut-paper illustrations match the story's energy and achieve an offbeat attitude to elevate Harley's neat rhymes. The familiar animals (an elephant, a rhino, a tiger, a whale, a caterpillar, etc.) and foods (pizza, birthday cake, popcorn, etc.), are recognizable through their stylizations. With a formula right out of Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983) and Sue Williams's I Went Walking (Harcourt, 1990), Sitting Down to Eat doesn't test any uncharted waters, but its bright interpretation shines with its own light. The text is slightly adapted from the lyrics of Harley's song by the same title, found on Come On Out and Play (Round River, 1996) and Big Big World (A&M, 1993). The lyrics land successfully on the printed page, where they bounce along with their own rhythm, no music given and none necessary.-Liza Bliss, Worcester Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

Sitting Down To Eat ( Sept. 1996; 32 pp.; 0-87483-460- 0): A song becomes a cumulative rhyming story about a child sitting down to eat, repeatedly interrupted by knocks at the door and animals clamoring to join in. "If I've got enough for me, yes, that's true./If I've got enough for me,/I've got enough for you./Come on in!" The rhymes maintain a strong beat; children will love shouting out refrains, as well as the "BOOM" that brings the house down when one last visitor is admitted. With Harvill's frenetic cut-paper collages, this is playful and lively.

Kirkus Reviews